Cumberland Farms Adds Biometric Support to Its Fuel-Payment App

Convenience-store operator Cumberland Farms Inc. updated its SmartPay Check-Link mobile app with biometric authentication and the ability to enroll in the program within the app, the Westborough, Mass.-based company announced Monday.

The app, which launched in 2013, gives users a 10-cent discount per gallon of gas when they use it to pay for fuel. The SmartPay app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, requires consumers to enroll a checking account as the payment method. The app—developed in-house by Cumberland Farms—uses automated clearing house payment technology from Portland, Maine-based ZipLine Inc.

The Cumberland Farms SmartPay app for iOS and Android devices adds support for biometric–fingerprint and facial recognition where available–authentication. (Image credit: Cumberland Farms)

The biometric log-in feature for the updated app works with any iOS or Android smart phone that has a fingerprint sensor, or facial recognition, as with the iPhone X.

To pay for fuel, the user verifies the store location and pump number within the app to activate the pump.

In addition to paying less for fuel at one of the more 600 Cumberland Farms locations in eight states, the app enables users to pay for in-store purchases, find a store location, track rewards progress, and view savings from using the app.

“The beauty of SmartPay Check-Link is its simplicity, and our new design further enhances that simplicity with an elegant, intuitive design,” said Gwen Forman, Cumberland Farms senior vice president of marketing, in a press release.

Cumberland Farms would not release updated figures on the number of uses or app downloads, but in 2015 the sign-up rate was 4,000 per week.